'Trek' Takes Nichols' Concerns Into Space

August 28, 1988|By Agnes Torres Al-Shibibi of The Sentinel Staff

As the black African communications officer of the starship Enterprise, Lt. Uhura lived the dream that the exploration of space would be a mission shared by men and women of all races and ethnic backgrounds.

But away from the Star Trek television/movie fantasy, Nichelle Nichols found that life was not fully imitating art. Although a NASA representative at a Chicago Star Trek convention in 1975 opened her eyes to NASA's goals and accomplishments, the Illinois-born actress-singer-dancer was troubled that an accompanying film featuring high-profile NASA personnel was devoid of minorities. Nichols, who had concentrated on show business from the time she was recruited from Chicago musical theater to tour with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at age 16, focused her energies on the space program.

''For the first time, I became fascinated with the possibilities of space travel and space exploration and the implications that it had on humankind,'' said Nichols, who will be the special guest of the Trekon Orlando '88 Star Trek convention Saturday and next Sunday. ''I thought, 'This is fantastic, what we've done.' Then I realized 'Wait a minute. We haven't done a damn thing. They've done it all and they're not letting me in,' me representing both women and my people.''

Nichols shared her concern with NASA executives, and an informal partnership was formed. She was treated to VIP tours of NASA installations around the country and allowed to take part in an eight-hour mission aboard a specially equipped airplane that serves as an astronomy observatory. With NASA's blessing, she spoke on the organization's behalf at colleges and Star Trek conventions, wrote educational musicals about the space program and recruited women and minority astronauts for the shuttle program.

Ironically, the ill-fated Challenger mission contained one of the most ethnically diverse crews in space-exploration history, thanks in part to Nichols' efforts. Although it was a great loss, Nichols feels the time has come ''to go forward. In the history of humankind, there has been no progress ever made in which there were not tragedies and mishaps and setbacks,'' she said by phone from San Diego, Calif. ''It is important that we understand that those men and women understood fully what the potential of giving their lives was, and it was worth it to them.''

Although she now plans to devote her time to music and writing, Nichols said she would ''go in a minute'' should NASA once again allow civilians on shuttle missions.